External drives · Passwords and encryption
Can I open an encrypted Mac drive on a Windows PC?
Short answer: Not with Windows alone — it can't read Mac drive formats, and Mac encryption is part of those formats. For one encrypted drive shared with a PC, consider a hardware-encrypted drive formatted as exFAT; keep your Storage Studio drive in a Mac format.
Not with Windows on its own. Windows doesn't read Mac drive formats natively, and macOS encryption is built into those formats. Third-party tools can sometimes read Mac drives on Windows, but they may not handle encrypted volumes.
If you need one encrypted drive for both computers, look for a drive with hardware encryption (unlocked by its own app, keypad or PIN) formatted as exFAT. For the drive Storage Studio uses, stay with a Mac format — see which format to use.